March issue 2009

Girl Power

March 31, 2009

Who is to Blame?

If it is true that the simplest and most obvious theory is usually true then…

March 31, 2009

A Course in Death and Destruction

2008 January 10: Twenty-four people were killed and 73 others injured when a suicide bomber…

March 31, 2009

Terrorism and Cricket

April 21, 1987 (Colombo, Sri Lanka) The New Zealand team flew to Colombo for a…

March 17, 2009

Under the Sea

Even two near-death experiences while swimming could not keep Rosheen Khan away from the water.…

March 17, 2009

Web Woman

A dedicated and passionate approach to her work has enabled Jehan Ara to succeed in…

March 17, 2009

Top Chef

Grilled lobster with garlic and lemon, stuffed with fresh asparagus and fresh mushrooms, Thai fish…

March 16, 2009

Oven Fresh

“Masoom Alam wanted to open a franchise of Masooms in Lahore,” Farida Zaidi tells me…

March 7, 2009

Correcting Corruption

On February 18, Brigadier Anwar Khan, regional manager of TCF Schools (South) inaugurated the fourth…

March 6, 2009

Cricket’s Darkest Hour

Pakistanis have long believed that sport was exempt from the country’s problems. That myth was…

March 6, 2009

Editor’s Note: March 2009

Maulana Sufi of the Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi, who has just thrashed out a peace deal with the…

March 6, 2009

Good Hair Day

Toni&Guy’s professional hair care range, label.m, has finally come to town. The exclusive products by…

March 5, 2009

Art and Craft

Artist, designer and author, Noorjehan Bilgrami’s workshop, Koel, was recently reborn as a gallery space.…

March 4, 2009

The Taliban are Here

Lahore has long been regarded as the cultural, intellectual and artistic capital of Pakistan, famous…

March 4, 2009

Slide into Chaos

A crystal ball was not needed to forecast the sad sequence of events that have…

March 4, 2009

A Fine Excess

Boutique publishers, Still Waters Publishing, launched Faraz Maqsood Hamidi’s debut anthology of English poems, entitled…

March 3, 2009

Actions Not Words

Are we still invisible, voiceless and powerless? It is indeed a sad reflection that 36…

March 3, 2009

What’s Your Shanaakht?

Shanaakht Festival is based around the theme of what it means to be a Pakistani…

March 2, 2009

Service with a Smile

“I don’t want to just sit at home, making myself new clothes and grooming myself,…

March 2, 2009

In the Line of Duty

Isa Khankhel is clueless as to the identity of those who killed his journalist brother,…

March 2, 2009

A Taste of Success

It was destiny that brought Rabab Zaidi and Tina Mehdi together. During a chance meeting…

March 2, 2009

A Room Without a View

Expectations are high these days with Pakistani authors creating quite the hype in literary circles…

March 2, 2009

Opinion, People, Viewpoint

The heads of women-specific NGOs in Pakistan, who have worked extensively with women and on…

March 2, 2009

Chromatic Harmony

Arif Mahmood has stunned photography fans once again. The exhibition titled The Stretched Canvas at…

March 2, 2009

The “end” in Gender

While I do not doubt the importance of International Women’s Day, I argue that, more…

March 2, 2009

Breaking Boundaries

Who says it has to be love at first sight to be an abiding love?…

March 2, 2009

A Celebration of Separation

The Green Cardamom’s recent endeavour, Lines of Control, is part of a three-exhibition series and…

March 2, 2009

A Voice for Society

Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah holds a prominent spot among the Pakistani literati and writers. Having the distinction…

March 2, 2009

Climate Sans FrontiÃ¨res

While the formation of organisations like MÃ©decins Sans FrontiÃ¨res and Reporters Sans FrontiÃ¨res spelled hope that human-rights…

March 2, 2009

Neither Peace Nor Justice

The decision of the NWFP government to impose a Nizam-e-Adl (Shariah) Regulation in the Provincially…

March 2, 2009

Disoriented Oeuvre

Gandhara Art’s recent display Disorientation by Jamil Baloch is an exhibition that justifies its premise.…

March 2, 2009

A Triumph of Will

That Karachi’s own film festival hit the screen once again is a minor miracle. With…

March 2, 2009

The Right Balance

The Right Balance Unjela Siddiqi is living proof that a woman can combine a successful…

March 2, 2009

Ladies of Liberty

Dramas have always been the forte of Pakistani television with their target audience generally being…

March 2, 2009

A Gentleman Journalist

It is becoming a rare combination these days, a journalist who is also a mild-mannered…

March 2, 2009

In a League of their Own

Comparisons? Competition? Contentions? Maram and Aabro exchange sidelong glances and then shake their heads side…

March 2, 2009

Interview: Saima Mohsin

Q: What made you want to become a journalist? A: I think I would have…

March 2, 2009

Girl Power

The Pakistani music scene may be dominated by men, but women have not been locked…

March 1, 2009

Identity Crisis

In 1983 Salima Hashmi was among a group of artists who signed a declaration stating…

By Faiza Shah | Arts & Culture | People | Q & A | Published 16 years ago

The Pakistani music scene may be dominated by men, but women have not been locked out. The gradual growth in female singers — and the public’s thumping round of applause — proves there is ample room for women who often take centre stage.

Five artists, Natasha, Nida Arab, Aaishah Akram, Haniya Aslam and Rabi Pirzada share their experiences of breaking into the industry and their thoughts on their female contemporaries and artistic freedom. And while each has a different story to tell, they all believe in the same soundtrack for success: talent, positivity and support.

Read what these female artists have to say by clicking on one of the interview links below: